Saturday 28 November 1663

Up and at the office sat all the morning, and at noon by Mr. Coventry’s coach to the ‘Change, and after a little while there where I met with Mr. Pierce, the chyrurgeon, who tells me for good newes that my Lord Sandwich is resolved to go no more to Chelsy, and told me he believed that I had been giving my Lord some counsel, which I neither denied nor affirmed, but seemed glad with him that he went thither no more, and so I home to dinner, and thence abroad to Paul’s Church Yard, and there looked upon the second part of Hudibras, which I buy not, but borrow to read, to see if it be as good as the first, which the world cry so mightily up, though it hath not a good liking in me, though I had tried by twice or three times reading to bring myself to think it witty. Back again home and to my office, and there late doing business and so home to supper and to bed. I have been told two or three times, but to-day for certain I am told how in Holland publickly they have pictured our King with reproach. One way is with his pockets turned the wrong side outward, hanging out empty; another with two courtiers picking of his pockets; and a third, leading of two ladies, while others abuse him; which amounts to great contempt.

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"for certain I am told how in Holland publickly they have pictured our King with reproach. One way is with his pockets turned the wrong side outward, hanging out empty; another with two courtiers picking of his pockets; and a third, leading of two ladies, while others abuse him; which amounts to great contempt"Great contempt for sure, but unfortunately Holland has portrayed a very accurate description of Charles II.

An early instance of dealing thus with the press, or its reporters - for Dr. Pearce (Pierce) is sought after "for gossip and good company" (as Pauline gleaned from Tomalin) - so whatever he says to Pearce will soon be abroad.

"which the world cry so mightily up, though it hath not a good liking in me, though I had tried by twice or three times reading to bring myself to think it witty"

Personal taste can be a lonely thing, my friend. I know the feeling -- people cry up various TV shows and bands to me that (after watching or listening, to find out what all the hubbub's about) I *know* are crap -- I just have to keep my thoughts to myself...

Today is all about the public gaze and Sam's reaction to it. It's rather telling that, great as Sam's relief is at the news about Sandwich, his desire to play his cards close to the vest with Pierce is just as great. Then we hear of Sam's vain attempts to love the latest bestseller as much as everyone else seems to, and I have to think that its content has something to do with his reaction; given his shifting allegiances a very popular anti-Cromwellian screed must have made him uncomfortable. Then to cap it off we see Sam take umbrage at the wicked Dutch disrespect for his king.

In a single day we see the public gaze directed at the lord whom he advised, public scorn directed at the Lord Protector he once cheered, and foreign scorn directed at the King he now serves. No wonder that even in his own diary he seems uncomfortable dwelling on that gaze too much!

Not having sartorial knowledge of this time I'm somewhat surprised that people (commonly?) kept money in their pockets. I wonder how far back the image of empty pockets has been used and whether this is one of the earliest?

Astute, Jesse; Merriam-Webster says "pickpocket" dates back to at least 1591, so there were pockets then to be picked---while a "cutpurse," who severs the little money-bag from your belt, dates from the 14th century.

Nate makes an excellent point as well: consider all those current news items where the subject being questioned neither denies nor affirms a fact---and thus tacitly admits its truth. For if one were confident of roundly denying an accusation, it would be to one's advantage to do so.

A. n. 1. A person who steals from or picks pockets (see PICK v.1 11c). Also fig. and in extended use.

1591 R. GREENE Notable Discouery of Coosenage To Rdr. sig. B2v, The picke-pockets and cut-purses are nothing so daungerous to meete withal, as these Coosening Cunny-catchers. purse : [OE. and ME. purs, app. ad. late L. bursa purse (whence OF. borse (12th c.), F. bourse, Pr., It. borsa, Sp., Pg. bolsa); the later forms pors, pours, and those with final e, porse, pourse, purse, were evidently influenced by the Fr. word. The initial p for b is not certainly explained: influence of OE. pusa, posa, ON. posi bag, has been suggested. As to the loss of the final vowel, if the word was taken as a strong feminine, it would naturally have the form purs, in oblique cases purse. L. bursa (byrsa), a. [Gr]..... hide, leather, appears in the grammarians Servius and Donatus c 385, and appears to be confined to glossaries before A.D. 600; it is glossed corium. For history see Körting s.v.] A. Illustration of Forms.

B. Signification. I. A money-bag or -receptacle and its contents. 1. a. A small pouch or bag of leather or other flexible material, used for carrying money on the person; originally a small bag drawn together at the mouth with a thong or strings, now of various shapes and fastened in various ways. a1100

1546 J. HEYWOOD Prov. (1867) 22 There is nothing in this worlde that agreeth wurs, Then dooeth a Ladies hert and a beggers purs.

Pepys's "neither denied nor affirmed" is very like what is now called in U.S. law, the Glomar response (aka Glomarization or Glomar denial), sc. a "neither confirm nor deny" response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glomar_response

"By the authour (sic) of the first [part of Hudibras]," ie Butler, is dated 1664. "

Licensed on 5 November 1663, and bearing the date of the following year (as books appearing at the end of the year usually did). Pepys bought it on 10 December. For his initial dislike of the first part see http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1662/12/26/

"bearing the date of the following year (as books appearing at the end of the year usually did)" (When did this begin?) [ and way OT?: "The practice of identifying automobiles by 'model-year' started in the U.S. Alfred Sloan, the long-time president and chairman of GM, extended the idea of yearly fashion change from clothing to automobiles in the 1920s. The Great Depression prompted other U.S. OEMs to also start selling "next" year's vehicles in October of the preceding year....In later decades, the model-year (October-September) became entrenched in the U.S. as new-model advertising was coordinated to the launch of the new television season in September. http://www.automotive-fleet.com/blog/market-tre...

Original copies of Hudibras are still to be had I have a copy of Butlers work myself got it off EBay also i have an original Eikon Basilike 1649 version , to complete my collection I'm now after the rebuff to the Basilike, Miltons Eikonoklastes just need a decent copy of it now